PANJIM: The Mhadei Bachao Abhiyan (MBA) has appealed to the State government to file an appeal before the Supreme Court seeking an early hearing to the Mhadei river water dispute.
Reacting to Supreme Court Justice Narasimha recusing himself from hearing the Mhadei matter on January 2, MBA convenor Nirmala Sawant said that Goa’s Advocate General Devidas Pangam should have made an appeal to the bench for an early hearing, as urgency is the need of the hour. At least now, the AG should move an application at the earliest praying for an early hearing of the matter for public awareness and to calm public agitation. Sawant said that the Goa government should also file an intervention application before the Apex Court for Modification of the Tribunal verdict to prevent ecological damage. “What is happening to Joshimath in Uttarakhand should not be repeated in Goa,” she cautioned. Sawant said that water from the deficit Mhadei river basin cannot be diverted to the surplus Malaprabha river basin. “There is a need for scientific observations and examination. Natural justice should prevail, else nature will not forgive,” stressed Sawant.
